“It wouldn’t be fair to ask that question at this point,” the Republican presidential hopeful said in an exclusive interview in Dubuque, Iowa, just hours before Kerik was indicted in NewYork.

Makes sense, sure, but that won’t fly with voters — or Democratic hecklers, who are hoping Kerik’s grime will tarnish everything Giuliani says from nowon.

The former mayor’s Republican competitors are also a little gleeful, it turnsout:

A senior official of another Republican campaign predicted that Giuliani’s momentum will be blunted seriously in the next week because of the media spotlight on the Kerikcase.

We guess the question is, which bothers you more: one candidate hedging over whether he might help a friend if he were in a position to make a decision (which he isn’t) or another candidate hedging over whether she might help illegal immigrants if she were in a position to make a decision (which sheisn’t)?